Bath-brush



help of an attendant.

tion of my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. BLQEMKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BATH-BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,434, dated May 5, 1896.

Application filed AngnstBO, 1895. Serial No. 560,958. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK I-I. BLOEMKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bath-Brushes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in bath-brushes; and it consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva- Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line a: w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a part section and part elevation on the line y 'y of Fig. 2.

The object of my invention is to construct a brush attachment to be used as an adjunct in the bath-room for purposes of enabling the bather to thoroughly scrub and wash his back, that being a portion of the body which under ordinary circumstances is difficult to reach by hand, and requiring generally the With this object in View I have devised and mounted a brush in connection with the bath-tub, the details of which may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents an ordinary bath-tub placed adjacent to the wall 2 of the bath-room. Mounted on the wall of the room immediately over the tub is a hollow channel-bar 3, Whose outer slotted wall provides for the reception of a sliding guideblook 4, said block being adapted to be reciprocated or worked up and down along the slot of the said wall. The block 4 is T-shaped or flanged, as best seen in Fig. 2, the flanges serving to guide the block along the slot of the channel-bar. The block 4 forms the back or support for the bath-brush 5. Through the body of the guide-block 4 is formed a longitudinal opening, through which is passed a cord 6, said cord having the knots 7 formed at either end of the block to properly retain the latter in position along the cord. The cord passes at either end of the channel-bar over the pulleys 8 and 9, fixed to the wall, the cord passing from the lower pulley 9 over a second top pulley 10, adjacent to the pulley 8, the free ends of the cord being each pro vided with an operating-handle 11, adapted to be slid along the cord and held in any adjusted position by simply tying a suitable knot in the cord immediately at the base of the handle.

From the above description it is apparent that as the bather pulls alternately at the handles secured to the free ends of the cord the brush will be reciprocated back and forth along the slot by which it is guided, and if the bather turns his back and presses the same against the bristles of the brush while the latter is being thus reciprocated it is obvious that the brush will accomplish the purpose for which it is intended.

Disposed along the top of the back of the brush are two lugs 12 12, between which is carried a pin 13. Coiled about the pin and between the lugs are the free ends of a resilient loop 14, the free ends 15 of the coils being adapted to bear against the upper surface of the back of the brush to give the loop a resilient action when moved outwardly from its normal position. The loop serves, when desirable, to retain a sponge 16 (or towel) against the brush, if desirable. (See Fig. 3.) When the sponge is not in use, the loop springs back into its normal position among the bristles of the brush, as seen in full lines in Fig. 3.

Should the bath-tub be located at a considerable distance from the Wall, the brush and the parts in which it is mounted can be secured to a suitable bracket of a length suflicient to bring the brush in proper position over the tub and within easy reach of the bather.

It is apparent from the above that the present invention presents advantages not to be attained by any otherform of brush, enabling the bather to properly and thoroughly wash his back and sponge the same at pleasure, the device being so located and so constructed as to reach any portion of the back of the bather. v

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Ina bath-brush, a suitable reciprocating brush, lugs carried by the top of the said brush, a pin mounted between the lugs, a suitable loop having its ends coiled about the pin and having the ends of the coils bearing against the upper surface of the brush to give the loop a resilient action, whereby the loop is adapted to retain a sponge between it and the brush, or fold back to its normal position among the bristles of the brush upon the removal of the sponge, substantially as set forth.

2. A bath-brush comprising a suitable channel-bar mounted over the tub, a Vertical slot formed in the outer Wall of the channel-bar, a flanged guide-block adapted to be reciprocated in the slot, a brush secured to said guide-block, a longitudinal opening formed 'the full length of the guide-block, a cord passed into and through said opening, knots formed in the cord at either end of the guideblock for, properly suspending the latter to the cord, a pulley mounted at the base of the channel-bar, additional pulleys mounted ad- I jacent to the top of the ohannel-bar said cord being adapted to pass over said pulleys, and suitable operating-handles at the free ends of the cord, whereby the brush can be given a Vertical reciprocating motion by the bather and thoroughly wash the back of said bather, substantially as set forth.

llrtestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. BLOEMKER. Vitnesses:

HENRY 0. Donnie, ALFRED A. MATHEY. 

